Abstract
Biomass energy accounts for more than 90% of the total rural energy supplies in developing countries. The combustion of domestic biofuels results in the emission of trace gases such as CO2, CO, NO and CH4 and aerosols. Such gases have a significant influence on climate and biogeochemical cycles. Trace gas emissions in this study were estimated based on the amount of domestic biofuel used by rural households across southern African countries. This study found that South Africa contributes the most trace gases to the regional budget (9.12 Tg C a−1 of CO2, 0.89 Tg C a−1 of CO, 10.77 Gg N a−1 of NO and 30.25 Gg C a−1 of CH4) and Botswana the least (0.25 Tg a−1 of CO2, 0.02 Tg a−1 of CO, 0.29 Gg a−1 of NO and 0.83 Gg a−1 of CH4). Fuelwood is the dominant fuel type used in all southern African countries and contributes to high emissions of trace gases. Annual CO2, CO, NO and CH4 emissions produced in Southern Africa are 23.0 Tg C, 2.2 Tg C, 29.4 Gg N and 81.4 Gg C, respectively.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ryan, P., & Openshaw, K. (1991). Assessment of biomass energy resources: A discussion on its need and methodology. World Bank Industry and Energy. Department working paper, Energy series paper no. 48.
Brocard, D., Lacaux, C., Lacaux, J., Kouadio, G., & Yoboue, V. (1996). Emissions from the combustion of biofuels in West Africa. In Levine, J. S. (Ed.), Biomass burning and global change. Remote sensing, modeling and inventory development, and biomass burning in Africa (Vol. 1, pp. 350–360). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Andrasko, K. J., Ahuja, D. R., Winnett, S. M., & Tirpak, D. A. (1999). Policy options for managing biomass burning to mitigate global climate change. In J. S. Levine (Ed.), Global biomass burning: Atmospheric, climatic and biospheric implication (pp. 445–456). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Bhattacharya, S. C., Salam, P. A., & Sharma, C. (2000). Emissions from biomass energy use in some selected Asian countries. Energy, 25, 169–188.
Bhattacharya, S. C., & Salam, P. A. (2002). Low greenhouse gas biomass options for cooking in the developing countries. Biomass and Bioenergy, 22, 305–317.
Crutzen, P. J., & Andreae, M. O. (1990). Biomass burning in the tropics: Impact on atmospheric chemistry and biogeochemical cycles. Science, 250, 1669–1678.
Johansson, J., & Lundqvist, U. (1999). Estimating Swedish biomass energy supply. Biomass and Bioenergy, 17, 85–93.
Mia, D., Ahmed, R., & Uddin, M. B. (2003). Biomass fuel use by the rural households in Chittagong region, Bangladesh. Biomass and Bioenergy, 24, 277–283.
Crutzen, P. J., Heidt, L. E., Kransec, W. H., & Seiler, W. (1997). Biomass burning as a source of atmospheric trace gases, CO, H2, N2O, NO, CH3Cl and COS. Nature, 18, 253–256.
Andreae, M. O. (1991). Biomass burning: Its history, use and distribution and its impact on environmental quality and global change. In J. S. Levine (Ed.), Global biomass burning: Atmospheric, climatic and biospheric implication (pp. 3–21). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Prasad, V. K., Gupta, P. K., Sharma, C., Sarkar, A. K., Kant, Y., Badarinath, K. V. S., et al. (2000). NOx emissions from biomass burning of shifting cultivation areas from tropical deciduous forests of India–estimates from ground–based measurement. Journal of Atmospheric Environment, 34, 3271–3280.
Lindesay, J. A. (1992). Biomass burning as a factor in atmospheric chemistry and terrestrial ecology. South African Journal of Science, 88, 193–202.
Gupta, P. K., Prasad, V. K., Sharma, C., Sarkar, A. K., Kant, Y., Badarinath, K. V. S., et al. (2001). CH4 emissions from biomass burning of shifting cultivation areas of tropical deciduous forest–experimental results from ground–based measurements. Chemosphere–Global Change Science, 3, 133–143.
Dignon, J., & Penner, J. E. (1991). Biomass burning: A source of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. In J. S. Levine (Ed.), Global biomass burning: Atmospheric, climatic and biospheric implication (pp. 370–375). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Houghton, R. A. (1991). Biomass burning from the perspective of the global carbon cycles. In J. S. Levine (Ed.), Global biomass burning: Atmospheric, climatic and biospheric implication (pp. 321–325). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Lindesay, J. A. (2000). African savanna fires. Global atmospheric chemistry and southern tropical atlantic regional experiment. In: B. W. Van Wilgen, M. O. Andreae, J. G. Goldammer, & J. A. Lindesay (Eds.), Fire in southern African savannas (pp. 1–15). Witwatersrand University Press.
Ludwig, J., Marufu, L. T., Huber, B., Andreae, M. O., & Helas, G. (2003). Domestic combustion of biomass fuels in developing countries: A major source of atmospheric pollutants. Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry, 23, 23–37.
Yevich, R., & Logan, J. A. (2003). An assessment of biofuel use and burning of agricultural wastes in the developing world. Global Biochemical Cycles, 17, 6–40.
Tshikalanke, R. P. (2006). Spatial and temporal variation of domestic biofuel consumption in southern Africa. Unpublished M.Sc. dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand.
Andreae, M. O., & Merlet, P. (2001). Emission of trace gases and aerosols from biomass burning. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 15, 955–966.
Streets, D. G., & Waldhoff, S. T. (1999). Greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel combustion in Asia. Energy, 24, 841–855.
Marufu, L., Ludwig, J., Andreae, M. O., Lelieveld, S., & Helas, G. (1999). Spatial and temporal variation in domestic biofuel consumption rates and patterns in Zimbabwe; Implication for the atmospheric trace gas emissions. Biomass and Bioenergy, 16, 311–332.
Brocard, D., & Lacaux, P. J. (1998). Domestic biomass combustion and associated emissions in West Africa. Global Biochemical Cycles, 12, 127–139.
United Nations. (2003). World urbanisation prospects. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nation Population Division. Retrieved Jan 20, 2015 from https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/.
Marufu, L., Ludwig, J., Andreae, M. O., Meixner, F. X., & Helas, G. (1997). Domestic biomass burning in Rural and Urban Zimbabwe–Part A. Biomass and Bioenergy, 12, 53–68.
Meteorological Services of Royal Navy and the South African Air Force (SAAAS). (1970). Weather on the coasts of southern Africa from river Congo to Cape Delgado. Local information (Vol. II).
Ward, D. E., Hao, W. M., Sussott, R. A., & Babbitt, R. E. (1996). Effects of fuel composition on combustion efficiency and emission factors for African savanna ecosystem. Journal of Geophysical Research, 101, 23569–23576.
Scholes, R. J., Ward, D. E., & Justice, C. O. (1996). Emissions of trace gases and aerosol particles due to vegetation burning in southern hemisphere Africa. Journal of Geophysical Research, 101, 23677–23682.
Acknowledgements
Financial support provided by the Electricity Supply Commission of South Africa (Eskom), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Council for the Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), National Research Foundation (NRF) and National Student Financial Aid Scheme of South Africa (NSFAS) is greatly acknowledged.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mulaudzi, S.K., Otter, L., Makhado, R.A. (2020). Trace Gas Emissions from Domestic Biofuel Combustion in Southern Africa. In: Mammino, L. (eds) Biomass Burning in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0808-2_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0808-2_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0807-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0808-2
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceChemistry and Material Science (R0)